


What Could've Been

by orphan_account



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Handplates (Undertale), Can be read as a reader insert, F/M, Gen, Minor Character Death, but this was originally planned to be a reader insert, but with different outcomes to similar events, inspired by and loosely based on zarla's handplates comic, just didn't like how it felt, not technically a reader insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-03
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2020-01-04 08:20:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18339788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Luna, the daughter of a human and a wolf monster, was only 14 when all hell broke loose and humans trapped monsters in the Underground. Siding with the monsters throughout the battle, she finds a kindred spirit in a young skeleton monster named Gaster, and the bond they form allows them to survive the tragedy of the war and come through stronger on the other side. Eventually they become royal scientists, and work fervently to find a solution to destroying the barrier and freeing all of monsterkind.





	1. Survival

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Handplates](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/469223) by Zarla. 



> Just a story that's been slowly developing in my mind since I first began reading Zarla's Handplates comic on DeviantArt 
> 
> Luna is 14 in the first chapter, but as she grows older her aging process slows, due to the magic flowing through her, causing her to age slower and live longer than even most average monsters. Her eyes are deep emerald, she always keeps her dark brown hair short, and it always looks messy despite her efforts to tame it, the thick hair always looking as though she just woke up. Her father is a large brown wolf monster, comparable in size to Ice Wolf, and her mother was powerful enough to be a mage, but chose not to, as the political aspect of such a title just wasn't for her.

Fire. Smoke and heat. They swallow her senses whole, but her mind has a death grip on the one thought that has kept her moving this whole time. _Save them. You have to save them. Mom and dad-_ She shakes her head and swallows the lump in her throat. _They sacrificed so much to keep you safe, so you could help the others. Keep going!_ She hears pained cries and immediately turns left, sprinting for them as she coughs out the smoke and ash filling her lungs. Suddenly the fire breaks, and she feels her soul tremble at the sight before her. Two skeletons lying on the ground, one unmoving and one crawling, very weakly, away from the human standing over them and toward the smaller skeleton that's cowering on the ground. She sees the human move toward them and her feet instantly move before she can even think. The other skeleton is gone, only a pile of dust in its place, and the human's feet kick it up as they step closer, raising the pistol she can now see in their grip. _No. No! Why is this happening!?_ She sees them cock the hammer back, taking aim at both skeletons at once, and she lets out a cry so fierce it startles even her for a moment.

"Don't you **FUCKING** dare!" Their gaze snaps to her only seconds before she's on them, tackling them to the ground. She snatches the pistol from them, taking advantage of their confusion at being attacked by one of their own, and empties the chamber before tossing the now useless hunk of metal into the flames behind her. "No more! This senseless violence has to stop!" She feels her body trembling as she stands over them, but she does her best to hide it. She glances over to the skeletons, making sure they're ok, but her heart breaks instantly. The younger skeleton is now sobbing over a fresh pile of dust, and her stomach wrenches into knots of emotion. Anger, heartbreak, fear. He seems to be maybe 13 or 14, the same age as her, but it's hard to tell in that moment, and now he's just as alone in this cruel world as she is. The human beneath her chuckles, and she realizes there are tears streaming down her face as she glares at them. She can't see their face through the tears, but that might be for the best.

"Are you really crying over those things? They're monsters. Dangerous creatures that don't belong here. Just do us all a favor and wipe them out, just like everyone else is." She feels her temper flare, and now the anger is all she feels. She places her foot on their chest and presses down slowly, leaning down as she speaks in a voice that almost sounds like a growl.

"If that's the case, then I guess I'm dangerous too." She bares her fangs and feels them flinch as they struggle to breathe. "My father was a monster, one of the strongest, kindest creatures I ever knew, second only to my mother." She finally lifts her foot and steps away, kicking them in the ribs as they cough and gasp in the air filling their lungs. "I'm not stooping to your level and taking any lives. Get out of here before I change my mind and dust you myself." She turns back to the skeleton child and begins walking toward them, the adrenaline leaving her system and making her feel weaker. He's too busy sobbing to notice her, and her heart wrenches in her chest. She walks faster, and gets close enough to barely brush her fingers over his skull, before a shot rings out and they both freeze, the world silent around them. She looks down, expecting to see blood on her, but finds none. Turning slowly, she sees a large wolf-like creature faced away from her, dark brown fur covered by tattered and burned clothing. She recognizes him immediately, and almost falls to her knees.

"Take him with you and go. Run to the mountain, do not stop until you find King Asgore and Queen Toriel. They'll help you." Her father's voice sounds weaker than usual, still rough and loud, intimidating as ever, but she can hear it. He's hurt, bad. She reaches out to him, trying to speak but only managing to whimper, and he turns to her with a pained smile. He's clutching the center of his chest, and she can see the blood between his fingers. Her chest tightens. "I love you Luna, and so does your mother. We're both so, so proud of you."

"I-I love you too dad!" She finally finds her voice and scrambles over to him, embracing him for what she knows might be the last time. "D-don't talk like that! Come with us, w-we can get you healed up!" She feels him shake his head and he pushes against her shoulders gently.

"You and I both know I'm not long for this world now. Now go, get out of here and get somewhere safe. Both of you." He nods to the skeleton behind her. He looks at her again and presses his forehead against hers before nuzzling his nose against her cheek. "I love you, my dear sweet Luna. Now go. Live. It's all your mother and I want." He stands, slowly, and before she can protest any further another shot rings out, and he lurches forward as blood shoots out of his shoulder, a pained growl ripping from his mouth. Her heart drops and she stumbles back with a choked cry. Squeezing her eyes closed, she steels herself as much as she can and turns back to the skeleton, sprinting to him. His face is blank as he stares at her father, and he doesn't respond to her shouts, no matter how urgently she tells him to get up and run. She goes to turn back around, but something stops her, an unfamiliar voice in her head.

_Don't look back. Just run. Pick him up and **RUN**._ Heart pounding, she does just that, scooping the skeleton into her arms and breaking into a run, faster than she ever thought possible of herself. He's lighter than she expected, and his expression hasn't changed. She feels her soul tugging towards him, as though it wants nothing more than to comfort him. Looking back up she sees Mount Ebott not too far away, and a cluster of monsters at the base of it. She pushes herself to keep going, faster and faster, when all of a sudden she feels a popping sensation in her chest, and she hears what sounds like a bullet ricocheting behind her. Even as her legs refuse to stop running, she looks down and sees a slightly glowing green heart floating just outside of her chest. _My soul... I didn't think I could..._ She glances over her shoulder, briefly, and sees a magical barrier, just large enough to cover her from any oncoming attacks, just as another bullet pings off the transparent shield, causing her to flinch. Shaking her head she faces forward again, getting closer to the others. _Almost there. I can figure that out later. Can't stop. Not yet._

"Asgore! Quickly, there's two more coming this way!" She hears a feminine but firm voice calling out over the chaos. It's a larger goat woman, her white fur contrasting against the smoke in the air. She goes to call out to her, but immediately begins hacking and coughing, the smog filling her lungs quickly. Her speed decreases, and her vision dims as the woman rushes toward her in a blur. The last thing she hears is that gentle voice, surprisingly calm as she feels herself being lifted up, the skeleton boy still grasped protectively in her arms.

"Do not worry, children. Everything will be alright."


	2. The Stars and the Rain

** [One year later] **

Luna lays back on her bed and looks up at the ceiling, her eyes tracing over the white paint splatters that make up the stars of the galaxy painted on the ceiling to her room. "Hey Gaster?" He hums in response as he sits at her desk, reading through one of the books he found in his latest dumpster dive. She swings her feet idly and sighs. "I miss the stars." He closes his book slowly and looks at her, head tilted to the side just a bit. She just continues to speak, not sure where this confession was coming from or why, but unable to stop herself from opening up to her best friend. "I miss laying in a grassy field on a summer night, breeze blowing over me like I don't exist. Just staring at the sky and making up my own constellations, the light of the moon shining down and giving everything that magical blue glow. It was... relaxing. The stars always made me feel less lonely..." She chuckles and wipes away the tear building up in the corner of her eye. "It just sounds sad when I say it out loud..."

She feels the bed shift and glances over to see him laying next to her, his hands laying on his stomach, his magical essence filling out the grey turtleneck and giving him shape. There's a long, heavy silence, and she sighs, getting ready to apologize for opening up like that out of nowhere. But before she can, he speaks, his voice soft and slightly raspy.

"I miss the rain the most, I'd say." She turns her head and just looks at him. His eyes are closed now, one hand placed on his chest, over his soul as he talks. "The change in the air, the quiet that settled over the world as everyone rushed inside to avoid getting wet... I could just go walking by myself, just me and my umbrella. No worries, no burdens..." He sighs wistfully, and her heart flutters, her soul tugging toward him slightly. With a faint sigh she lets it come out, the soft green glow of it causing Gaster to open his eyes and look at it. As his soul floats out to meet hers, she takes his hand in hers and smiles, noticing a soft yellow glow in his eyes that she rarely gets to see. She can't help but run her thumb over the very thin layer of hair on his bones, and their souls settle in together naturally, like two puzzle pieces falling into place, just barely hovering over and between the two of them. 

"I'm gonna figure out how to break the barrier." His words aren't new, but she always looks at him expectantly when he says them. "I'm gonna free everyone. None of them deserve to be stuck down here, like... Like some caged wild animals." She can feel his stress levels rising and her soul instinctively hums and glows brighter, soothing him. 

"WE are gonna break the barrier." His head turns in her direction and she smiles at the ceiling. "This soul of mine HAS to have some magical secrets in it, right? The child of a human and a monster who were both adept at using powerful magic... There's gotta be something in me that'll help us. Some untapped power that can destroy the barrier." He grips her hand and she turns her smile to him, touching the pointer finger of her free hand against his forehead. "You're the smartest monster I know, Gaster. You'll become a royal scientist, and I'll do my best to follow right behind you, and we'll work together to solve this. Deal?" Her soul nudges his and she searches his face for a response. He looks stunned, but eventually nods and meets her smile with a smaller but still just as genuine one, his soul nudging back against hers.

"Deal."


	3. You Can't Have One Without the Other

** [5 years later] **

"Your majesty, with all due respect-"

She can only hear snippets of the conversation as she sits in the hallway just outside the throne room. Her nerves are completely shot as she sits there, fiddling with the buttons on her lab coat as she's unable to really do much else. Through the faint link her soul shares with Gaster's, she's able to feel glimpses of his emotions as he argues his case to the King and Queen, convincing them he needs her as his partner to properly conduct his research.

"-Doctor Alphys is a very smart, capable-" 

She sighs at that, all but accepting her defeat. They already had one royal scientist along with Gaster, and she seemed to be far more capable than her when it came to these things. _Sure,_ she drops her hands from her coat buttons to examine them in thought, _I'm smart, I won't deny that, but I feel like I'm just holding Gaster back from his true potential as a scientist. It might be better this way._ She sighs again and closes her eyes as she leans her head back against the stone wall, letting the light streaming through the windows warm her. _He needs someone who can keep up with him, someone who-_

"Go on and bring her in here, dear."

Her eyes shoot open and she scrambles to stand back up at the sound of the Queen's voice, just managing to straighten her lab coat back out as Gaster comes out through the large double doors. She looks at him, briefly noticing the glasses still taped to the sides of his skull, and she smiles nervously at him. He tries to keep a straight face, but as soon as he begins to speak, his mouth forms into a bright smile.

"The uh, King and Queen wish to speak to you." Her heart starts thumping excitedly in her chest as she returns his smile, and both of their souls seem to hum in sync with happiness. 

"Alright, alright, uhm, how do I look? Presentable, at least?" He shakes his head and steps to the side, smiling as he holds the door open for her.

"You look great. Now come on, you can't keep them waiting too long, or they might change their minds." She clears her throat and composes herself, miraculously managing to keep a professional appearance as she enters the throne room, Gaster following in step right beside her. Greeted by the smiling faces of her King and Queen, she feels a wave of relief wash over her, and she stops before them and bows.

"Thank you for your time, King Asgore and Queen Toriel. It is an honor and a privilege to-" Her sentence is cut short by the Queen giggling softly, and she looks up to her, confused.

"There is no need for such formality, my child. You are to be a royal scientist now, after all, and with how often we'll be seeing you, I am certain it would grow quite tiresome for everyone." Luna's eyes widen and she stands straight up, beaming brightly.

"Y-you mean it? I can work with Gaster as one of your royal scientists?" They both smile and nod at her, and she has to clear her throat to hide the squeal that tries to come out. Without thinking, she turns to Gaster and hugs him, failing to register the slight yellow blush that dusts his cheek bones when she does so. After pulling away from him she turns and moves towards the Queen, but she pauses midstep. "Uh... M-may I?"

"You don't even need to ask, dear. Come here." The Queen stands and opens her arms to Luna, giving her that warm smile she always seems to wear, and she practically leaps into her embrace. She gives her a warm, firm hug, and she calls out to Gaster, "You too dear, come on over here." He clears his throat awkwardly and mumbles something to himself before Toriel is pulling him in as well, hugging them both. 

"Well I want in on this, too." King Asgore stands and wraps his arms around all three of them, lifting them all slightly, and the young girl feels embarrassed at the tiny surprised squeaking sound she makes. The King lets out a hearty laugh, and the Queen soon joins him with sweet laughter of her own, and soon Luna and Gaster are smiling and laughing with them. After a few moments, the King finally sets everyone down and Luna steps away, clearing her throat and dusting off her lab coat before sliding her hands into the pockets. She does her best to keep a serious face as she looks between the King, Queen, and Gaster, but she can't help the way the corner of her mouth tilts up into a crooked smile.

"So. What's our first project then?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uploading 2 chapters today due to how short they are; hope that makes up for it!


	4. So Crazy It Just Might Work

** [1 month later] **

"You... Wanna build a what?" Luna's voice is quiet, tinged with confusion as she tilts her head at Gaster, trying to make sure she heard him right.

"I know, I know, it sounds crazy, but-" he pulls out some rolled up blueprints from his desk and lays them out on the table between them, "I've been drawing these up for a little over a year now, trying to figure out how to do it, if it's even possible at all, and now that we're actually royal scientists, we have access to so much more knowledge than before, I'm sure we could do it!" His eye sockets are wide open in wonder, and she looks at him a moment longer than she intends to before looking down at the blueprints, scanning over them. To anyone else the writing would be hard to read, even if they understood him when he spoke. But she's known him long enough to be able to make sense of the messy, hastily scribbled down notes on the edges of the paper. She traces her fingers over the design of what looks like a large capsule, wires and hoses connecting to a large computer of some sort. 

"It's gonna take a lot of late night dump dives to get the parts we'd need," she starts muttering to herself. She grabs a pencil from her pocket and scribbles her own notes in a small blank space, chewing her bottom lip thoughtfully. "We'll also need to set it up to bring the entire machine with us, and a switch to instantly bring us back to our timeline, in case anything goes wrong..." She slips the pencil back into her pocket and looks up at him, her hands flat on the table. "You do realize we would have to keep this a secret, right? Not only is the idea of hopping from one timeline to another unbelievable, what if we tell everyone, they actually believe us, and then it doesn't work?" He nods, never breaking eye contact.

"I know. That's why you're the only person who has ever seen this, and no one else ever will. Not unless it works." He sighs and sits down, his head in his hands. "I hate keeping secrets from the King and Queen, but you're right. We have to think long-term on this..." She walks over and sits on the table, her legs dangling next to his seat. She places her hand on his shoulder and rubs it gently.

"It's a lot. And it's gonna take all of our effort and free time to do this. But it'll be worth it." He nods and places his hand over hers, looking away slightly. She look at his hand, at him, and feels her cheeks burn as she realizes, suddenly, she really wants to kiss him. Shaking her head and clearing her throat, she gives his shoulder a light pat and jumps down from the table, adjusting her coat and beginning to roll the blueprints back up. "For now though, let's just do that research on my soul and see what makes it tick, yeah? Maybe we can use something in there to figure out how the barrier works and how we can destroy it." He looks at her strangely and takes the rolled up papers from her hands, then gets up to put them back in the drawer he got them from. Turning back around, he slides his hands into his pockets, and gives her a smile.

"We should probably head to the lab then. Would you like to call Alphys and let her know we're coming?"


	5. Buried Treasure

** [Present] **

"Ah-ha!" She holds the scrapped motherboard up triumphantly, waiting for Gaster to look before tucking it in her bag. "That's three so far on my end, plus some other wires and doodads that might be useful. How's it going over there?" She only hears some grumbling from him, and he drags his hands down his face before shaking his head.

"I've got something here, I know it, but I'm having trouble digging it out." She stands up and stretches, then grabs an old pillow from the pile she's currently standing on and tosses it in front of her feet, sitting on it and sliding down the pile toward Gaster. After coming to a shaky stop, she dusts herself off and kneels beside him, eyeing the pile in front of him thoughtfully. Reaching forward, she grabs what looks like an old couch cushion and attempts to tug it out, hoping to loosen the pile a bit, with no luck. 

"Well, no better time to try out the magic I've been learning..." she mumbles to herself. Gaster turns to her, but before he can ask her to repeat herself, she closes her eyes and does her best to still her mind. _Just focus... Just like you read in the books, just reach within, tug on those invisible strings of magic within your soul... And take control of it._ Her outstretched hands begin to tremble as she unintentionally scowls, eyes still closed, just barely grasping at a thread of magic, but seemingly unable to get a firm grip on it. "Come on... Almost..." She's so focused that her own voice sounds distant, strained, but she presses on. Eyes still squeezed firmly closed, fingers flexing slowly, she imagines her soul physically floating before her. In her mind's eye, she slowly presses her hand inside it, gasping softly at the simultaneous tugging sensation she feels in her chest, but still she persists, determined to make this work. Moving her fingers around slowly, it only takes a few moments, until...

"There!" Her sudden shout startles both her and Gaster, and she opens her eyes to see a faint green glow around her hands, failing to glance down to see her soul floating outside of her chest. Knowing that she hasn't had nearly enough practice for this magic to last long, she flicks her hands toward the buried object Gaster had been focusing his attention on, almost as though trying to transfer the magical energy onto it. Beads of sweat begin to form on her forehead, and she can hear Gaster saying something, but it's muffled. Like he's talking into a pillow. A dull pounding begins to thump in her skull, but the sight of the buried treasure budging just a bit is enough to keep her pressing. _More. Just a little more and..._ The pain sharpens instantly, feeling like a stake had been driven directly through her skull. She lets out a cry of startled pain, and collapses onto her hands and knees, panting heavily as tears blur her vision.

"Oh God, oh God..." She faintly hears Gaster's panicked voice as his hands move over her back, desperately trying to figure out what he can do. "Y-You shouldn't exert so much energy at once like that! M-Magic takes time to master! You can't just..." His voice trails off and he begins to hyperventilate. "This was a bad idea. It won't work. It's not worth it, it's not... I can't..." The whole time she's facing the ground, she can already feel the magic in her system speeding up her body's recovery process, and while Gaster freaks out she manages to move into a sitting position. She finally notices her soul floating before her, but instead of having it retreat back within her chest, she reaches out to place a hand on Gaster's trembling shoulder.

"Gaster..." Her voice is weak, so she doesn't blame him for not responding at first, assuming he just didn't hear her. He's grasping at his skull, hunched over and murmuring incomprehensibly. Clearing her throat, she tries again with a little more force. "Gaster." She tightens her grip on his shoulder and sighs, crawling over to sit in front of him and place both hands on his shoulders. "Gaster! I'm ok!" Whether it was the fact that she raised her voice, or that her soul was now pushing against his chest in an attempt to get to his, she finally got through to him, and his head snapped up and he looked at her, eye lights wide and fearful. Before she can say anything else, he shoots forward onto his knees and wraps his thin arms around her, his body crashing against hers as his head rests over her shoulder.

"Don't scare me like that... Please... I can't lose you too..." His words stun her into staying silent, and she opts to simply wrap her arms around him, hugging him close to her as their souls press together in a similar fashion.

"I'm not going anywhere Gazzy... I promise." Her voice is soft, and she feels his boney fingers clutching onto her lab coat. "You know I'm tougher than that. You're stuck with me, remember?" He doesn't respond, but he does become slightly less tense, and the quiet rattling of his shaking bones eventually stops. "Come on... Let's take this haul back home and look through it all." He just nods weakly and releases his grip on her without moving. Sighing softly, she glances over to the item she had been trying to extract from the trash pile and notices that she had actually managed to pull it more than halfway out. Quickly, she gets up and manages to get it out with one swift tug, tucking it into her bag and turning back to Gaster, holding a hand out to him. Realizing he isn't going to move on his own right now, she reaches down and grabs him under his arms, gently lifting him to his feet. Once he's standing, she bumps her forehead briefly against his before taking his hand and leading him the way back home to Snowdin.

_Once he's ok again, I definitely need to apologize for scaring him like that._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 chapters in one day again, due to their shortness ^^" Gonna work on trying to make them longer from now on!


	6. All Is Forgiven

Once Luna leads Gaster all the way back to their home in Snowdin, she digs around in her bag with one hand, refusing to let go of Gaster's hand as she searches for the keys to the house. Pulling them out and opening the front door, she urges Gaster inside and follows behind him, shutting and locking the door quietly. Glancing back at him and seeing him just standing in place, she frowns and tosses her bag onto the couch. _I gotta fix this somehow. I didn't mean to scare him like this, I only wanted to help..._ She clears her throat and places her hands on his shoulders from behind, taking his lab coat off and hanging it up before gently steering him to sit on the couch. He does so without resistance, but he looks so drained and tired. Putting on a soft smile she places her coat next to his and sits next to him, turned to face him slightly as she pulls the cover off the back of the couch and drapes it over their laps. She then grabs the remote and turns on the tv, turning the volume way down and flipping to a channel playing some monster music as background noise. He lets out a long sigh next to her, and the guilt grips her soul for a moment. Setting the remote back down on the arm of the couch, she drapes an arm over the back of the couch and rests her forehead in the crook of her elbow.

"I'm sorry I scared you Gaster." Her words are soft, but the hum she gets in response confirms that he heard her. She continues, fumbling as she tries to keep him from being upset with her. "I-I mean it. I just... My p-parents never got a chance to teach me how to use my magic, b-but I had found some books about magic, and I wanted to practice on my own, s-so I could surprise you, and... And..." She sighs and grips her thigh tightly under the cover. "...and I just wanted to be useful somehow. I wanted to help... You seemed so excited about this project when you showed me those blueprints earlier today, and I guess I just got a little too eager trying to make you happy. I shouldn't have been so dumb and pushed myself so hard before I'm really ready, and I'm sorry. It was a stupid mistake, and I just... Hope you can forgive me." All she gets in response for a long while is silence, save for the music playing quietly in the background. She doesn't hear it though, not really. All she hears is her heart thumping wildly as her nerves become more and more frazzled, and she can feel her sleeve growing wet with silent tears. _Just please don't be upset with me anymore... I don't like how it makes my soul feel... Empty..._ Eventually though, she feels a bony hand on the back of her head, pulling her closer to him as he stares ahead, speaking in a hushed tone.

"Scientists don't make mistakes. We make miscalculations and learn from our errors as we press forward." He sighs, and presses his mouth against the top of her head, leaving the sensation of a kiss. _Was... Was that magic...? Or something else I have yet to learn about the anatomy of a skeleton monster...?_ Before she can dwell on it too much, he continues, his mouth still pressed gently atop her head. "Please don't do that anymore. Not on your own. Let... Let me help next time." Her face burns, and she thanks the stars that he's holding her head where he can't see her crimson cheeks. "Magic probably comes more naturally to monsters, and even though you are part monster, you are also part human, and as such, you'll more than likely need some guidance on how to properly use your magic." She nods in agreement and decides to lean into him slightly, testing his boundaries, and hers. In response he moves his arm down around her shoulders and lets out a deep sigh against her head.

"...I forgive you Luna." He barely murmurs the words where she can hear, but she does, and her whole body relaxes as the tension leaves her. She hugs him, tightly, and smiles to herself.

_I promise I'll do better from now on. I won't let you down._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter, but hopefully this will be the last! I'll go ahead and post the next chapter as well, though it is substantially longer, but hopefully I can work on making that the norm moving forward!


	7. Coffee, Marshmallows, and SOULs

"Agh... Headache..." Luna waits a moment before slowly blinking her eyes open. Normally the natural magic in her body would've taken care of the headache before it even started, but it seemed to be running a little slow today. _Must be because I strained myself and my magic last night._ She sighs and finally opens her eyes all the way, looking at Gaster's resting form somewhat tangled with hers. _Ah, that's right. Must've passed out on the couch before we even got to look at what we collected from the dump._ A small yawn works its way out of her, and she moves to get up but stops. Instead, she nestles back into the couch and looks at the skeleton's face as his head rests inches from hers on the back of the couch. For a monster made of bone, his features look strangely soft and relaxed. A look he doesn't wear too often. _Sometimes it's hard to believe we've gotten this far..._ Her thoughts drift to when they were first forced underground and sealed away by the humans above. _He really has helped me to grow and become stronger... I can only hope I've done the same for him._ Before she knows what she's doing, her hand reaches out and finds a place to rest on his fuzzy cheek, but the gentle sigh that leaves him in response makes her eyes widen a bit and her cheeks burn. Nervous but unwilling to pull away, she tentatively leans forward and very lightly brushes her lips against his forehead. He mumbles something in his sleep, a slight yellow blush growing on his face, but instead of trying to figure out what he said, she starts to carefully untangle herself from the loose grip he has on her, her blush growing ever brighter. _No, no, snap out of it._ She slaps her cheeks and shakes her head, instantly regretting the action as a wave of dull pain throbs in her skull. "Oh stars, fuck, ow," her voice a soft groan as she steps into the kitchen. "Coffee... Coffee will help." Her socks drift across the floor as she barely lifts her feet, and she pulls her phone out of her pocket on her way to the coffeemaker. _Maybe I can convince the King and Queen to let us work from home today._ After a long yawn and a good stretch, she finds Toriel's number in her contacts and calls it, holding the phone between her ear and her shoulder while she grabs the coffee pot to fill it with water. After three rings, Toriel answers, and her warm voice makes Luna smile despite the throbbing in her skull.

"Good morning Luna, and to what do I owe the pleasure of speaking with you this morning?" As Luna pours the water into the coffeemaker, she shifts the phone to her other ear and reaches into the cabinet in search of the coffee. Before she can respond to Toriel, however, a deep voice that can only belong to the King chimes in.

"Ah, is that Luna you're talking to? Good morning, my dear!" She chuckles at his energetic tone, wondering briefly why Asgore doesn't just get a phone of his own. _Maybe I can find one in the dump and fix it up for him._ She sets the filter in place and starts scooping coffee into it.

"Good morning to you two as well. And, well... I actually had a favor to ask of you, on behalf of Gaster as well as myself." She clears her throat quickly and snaps the lid shut. After hitting the button to start brewing the coffee, she puts the bag back up and takes out the bag of marshmallows to take its place.

"Of course dear, whatever you wish. What is the favor?" There's a sound of clinking as two mugs are sat on the counter. Luna sits at the table and pinches the bridge of her nose, attempting to hold off the pain so she can speak normally.

"Alright, so, last night, Gaster and I were doing some research and studying, and we became so engrossed in it that we lost track of time. So now, well..." She chews on her lip and looks back at Gaster, now curled up in the blanket with his back to her. "Gaster's still passed out on the couch, and I'm barely awake yet myself." She turns back to the coffeemaker and drums her fingers on the table anxiously as she watches the coffee slowly dribble into the pot. "So my question is... Could we possibly work from home today...?" She continues chewing on her lip, anxiety getting the better of her.

"Sweetheart, that is no problem at all, there is no need to be so nervous over a request as simple as that." Luna lets out a breath she hadn't realized had been trapped in her chest. "In fact, we were just talking the other day about giving all of you a day off soon, Doctor Alphys included. Right Gorey?" Luna can't help the grin that spreads across her face, even as she shakes her head.

"Oh, your majesty, no, as much as I appreciate it, I can't possibly ask for a day off. Not with how much work we have to do." Asgore chimes in now, seemingly closer to the phone than before.

"My dear, we insist. You've all been working very hard nonstop, I'd say it's about time for a little break." She sighs and stands up, preparing to turn the coffeemaker off once it's done. "Go on and enjoy your day, take some time for yourselves." Luna smiles as she begins pouring equal amounts of coffee into each mug.

"Well, if you guys insist..." She sighs dramatically and adds some cream and sugar to her coffee. "Besides, who am I to say no to my beloved Queen Tori and King Gorey?" They all share a laugh at that as she puts the cream and sugar away and drops three large marshmallows into each mug. "So then, will you be calling Alphys? Or would you like me to?"

"I'll call her in just a moment dear, you go and get some breakfast in your belly." Luna shakes her head, smile softening at Toriel's words. _Always acting like everyone's mom._ After somewhat drawn out goodbyes, she places her phone back in her pocket and twists her neck and back as she leans on the counter, sighing at the cracking and popping that relieves some tension. _Just gotta let Gaster know the good news once he wakes up._ One mug grasped firmly in each hand, she turns toward the living room and stops, her smile returning.

"Oh! Good morning sleepybones. I was just about to bring you some coffee." After a moment with no response, her smile fades. "Gaster...?" His face is slightly flushed, and when she realizes where his gaze is directed, her face flushes as well, and she clears her throat.

_Oh stars what is this. Why do I feel like this. Like my soul can't stop flailing about. And that thing she just did, with her back and neck, holy-_ "Your soul." His voice is quiet and raspy with sleep as he cuts his own thoughts off. "Something's different. Feels different."

_Ah, so he's just trying to see my soul then..._ She breathes a sigh of relief and sets each mug down in front of a chair, taking a seat at hers. He rubs his eye sockets and sits down at the other chair, now directly across from her. He's squinting and murmuring incoherently to himself, obviously deep in thought. Luna sighs and gestures to the mug in front of him.

"Drink your coffee while it's still hot, and once you're awake enough to form an actual sentence, I'll let you check out my soul and we can figure out what's going on. The King and Queen gave us the day off so we'll have plenty of time for it." He simply nods and slowly brings the mug to his mouth, keeping his eyes closed as he drinks. They both sit in comfortable silence for a while, simply enjoying the hot coffee and each other's presence. By the time Luna's halfway done with her drink, however, Gaster's already setting his empty mug back on the table with a content sigh. _The marshmallows couldn't have dissolved that quickly... Did... He swallow them whole...? Or did I just not notice him eating them?_ He already looks more awake, and he leans forward, smiling.

"Thanks for that." Luna waves her hand as if to say _oh hush, it's nothing_ as she takes another drink, swallowing before responding. The coffee is pleasantly warm as it travels down her throat.   
  
"So anyway, what exactly do you mean? What feels different about my soul?" He fidgets nervously under her questioning gaze and looks at his hands.   
  
"You know how we have that... Sort of... Link? Between our souls?" He looks up to see her nod in response, relieved that she's too busy staring into her cup to notice the sunny blush creeping up his neck and face. "Well... It's stronger now. I can... I can sense what you're feeling a little better. And your soul has been humming pretty vibrantly since I woke up." _Along with how nervous and erratic it felt when you... K-kissed me..._ She just nods slowly, unaware of his thoughts or the fact he was awake for that nervous kiss to his forehead, gripping the mug tightly as she tries desperately to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. "It's... definitely not an unpleasant feeling. But it is a drastic change, which warrants a quick examination of it."   
  
_He's right. Now that the coffee's cleared up my headache, I can feel it. Almost like buzzing in my chest. And **his** soul is-_ he clears his throat awkwardly, and she looks up, snapping out of her thoughts. She releases her grip on the mug and scoots it to the side. "Alright, well..." Leaning back, she closes her eyes and imagines pushing her soul out of her chest, gently. _This feels a lot easier than usual..._ After a moment longer, she feels that signature gentle pop as her soul floats out from her and immediately gasps. "Oh stars, it- it feels extremely sensitive." Chills shoot up her back at the feeling of being exposed. She opens her eyes to see Gaster's face, mouth pulled taught and eye sockets wide, his eye lights staring directly at her soul. She follows his gaze, and immediately understands his reaction. "Is... Is that the same magic that monster souls are made of...?" Her voice is hushed, and Gaster matches her tone.

"I believe so..." Floating there over the table is her soul, as vibrant and green as ever, but now there's a soft white ribbon swirling around in the emerald glow. "I think... Last night..." He looks up at her now, staring into her eyes. "Using your magic like that broke a metaphorical seal on your soul, allowing it to finally reach true maturity and granting you access to your true magical capabilities." His gaze is intense and she looks away shyly, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.

"But... I thought I was technically reaching maturity back when I hit puberty...?" She clears her throat and glances up at him. "My body went through all those changes, so haven't I already fully matured...?" He tilts his head as he looks at her, confusion written across his features.

"Have you... Not been taught about the maturity of monster souls?" She shakes her head timidly. "Oh stars, I'm no good at this type of thing, but..." He sighs and leans back, staring at the ceiling as he speaks. "You know how a human's body reaches maturity at a certain age? They gain the ability to reproduce, their bodies grow stronger, and so on. Well, monsters are a little more complex than that. We reach maturity at a later age, under different conditions. And different things happen within our bodies when that happens. The main thing being the changes to our magic." Luna slowly pulls her soul back within her as she listens intently. "All monsters have access to some simple, basic magic, even as children. The magic we learn to clean ourselves with, some minor self-healing, small necessities like that. As we grow, we learn more, of course, but we never really tap into our true magical potential until our souls fully mature." He looks at her again and leans forward, hands clasping together on the table. "So my theory is that the human nature of your soul created a seal of sorts over your magic, seeing as how your human body, at a younger age, might not have been able to withstand the magic passed down from a boss monster such as your father." She nods and looks down at her hands, flexing them, now fully aware of the magic humming inside her. "Like I said, other things happen as well. Our resistance builds, we become sturdier in most cases, and at that point we are able to properly soul bond and conceive offspring through such a connection." She glances at him with slightly widened eyes and quickly looks away again, cheeks burning crimson.

"...oh." Once he registers her reaction, his brow bone scrunches, and she catches the blush on his cheeks before he rests his chin in the palm of his hand, elbow on the table as he looks off to the side with his fingers hiding his face. "W-well, um... Should we at least... Do a quick study in the lab for your notes before we figure out what to do with our day off...?" Before he can even think of an answer, Luna's phone begins ringing, and thanks to the Mew Mew theme ringtone going off, they both know who it is before she even opens her phone.

"Hey Alphys! I'm assuming you heard the news from Queen Toriel?"


	8. Free Day

After a quick boat ride to Hotland, the pair make their way to the lab, greeting Alphys briefly before heading down to the lower part of the lab, where they conduct the majority of their research and experiments. While on the phone with Alphys previously, she and Luna agreed that whatever they do with their time off, they should all three do it together. Alphys had been wanting to spend more time with them outside of work anyway. While Gaster and Luna walk silently down the hall together, her mind wanders to what their options for the day are. _Grillby's is always good, and we could try to get something from Muffet later. Or we could search the dump for new movies or games. Waterfall's also a really nice place to-_ Her thoughts are cut short by the whirring sound of a door opening. Gaster steps through and she follows behind him, suddenly feeling nervous but not really knowing why. The door hums softly as it shuts behind her, and she sits on the examination table wordlessly. Even in the short time they've been royal scientists, they've done this enough times to know exactly what they're doing now.

"Would you be able to bring your soul out?" Gaster's eyes are glued to a tablet as he speaks, and he sits in front of her with it so it can scan her soul once it's visible. She nods at his request and does so with ease, though the new sensitivity still causes her to gasp softly. "Alright, thank you. Now, let's boot up the program, and... There." Her leg bounces anxiously as she glances back and forth between her soul and his face. "As I suspected, magic readings are much higher, but everything else appears as usual..." He swipes around on the screen, appearing to take notes. "That should be all I need right now. Though, I am curious about the aura I'm seeing... It's only showing up on the scanner. It's most likely magical, but I need to be sure." He sets the tablet on the table next to her as he wheels his chair closer to her, his eye lights trained on her face. He reaches a hand out, slowly. "May I...?" She simply nods and watches his hand. He seems hesitant, moving slowly, but just as his fingers brush her soul, she's overcome with a strange, powerful wave of... Something. 

"A-ahh...!" The noise she makes is something she's never done or heard before, a mix between a gasp and a high pitched moan. A sound that makes them both blush and flinch away instantly. She's trembling slightly now, her entire face flushed as she chews the inside of her cheek. Gaster's blush creeps up from the grey turtleneck, almost all the way up to the top of his skull, eye lights almost as wide as his sockets. "Th-that... I... Uhhh..." Luna stumbles over her words as they stare at each other, shame and embarrassment clear on her face.

"I... I didn't... I'm..." Gaster fumbles with his words just as much. The silence between them grows, and the tension in the air is thick. Neither one is able to look away from the other, though. _Oh stars I should've known._ Gaster's thoughts are jumbled, panicked. _The moment she mentioned her soul being sensitive. I should've known this was why._

"Gaster... What-" Luna finally speaks, softly, but instantly stops at the sound of a distant door opening and closing, followed by the familiar sound of clawed feet tapping down the hall. She moves her gaze to the door as she quickly pulls her soul back, jumping down from the table and slapping her cheeks quickly. Gaster follows suit and straightens up, clearing his throat as he retrieves the tablet and focuses his gaze on the screen, seemingly more successful than his companion at composing himself. He turns his back to the door just as it opens, and Alphys peeks her head in.

"Um, y-you two r-ready to go?" The yellow-scaled lizard looks at Gaster's back, then to Luna's now composed face. There's a hint of concern in her eyes, but Luna quickly assures her that everything is fine, and they're pretty much done, Gaster's just finishing up his notes. "A-alright then, uh, let's go, then, I-I guess? Have you, um, d-decided on what we should, ah, do today?"

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With a grunt Luna pushes a patched-up armchair out of the way, and splashing sounds fill the dump as a handful of unseen items are pushed off and into the water by the action. She then sighs and wipes her bare arm across her forehead to rid herself of the thin layer of sweat building up there. She initially had a light jacket on, but had taken it off and tied it around her waist once the physical exertion had begun to make her sweat, revealing the sleeveless shirt she wears underneath. She looks over at Alphys, and chuckles at the large pile that's already accumulated at her side. _Well, at least she's found more of her Mew Mew shows, judging by those bright pink cases._ Glancing over to Gaster confirms her suspicions on his progress; he seems to be more focused on adding to his library of books, and as such has a pretty decent pile of books around him, all varying in thickness and color. She looks around her feet and frowns. _Guess I better hurry and catch up, huh?_ Clearing her throat, she finds herself determined to find some new movies and shows for the three of them to watch. Mew Mew Kissy Cutie is great and all, but even Luna has to admit that she's feeling burned out on it. _I'm sorry Alphys, but I gotta watch something different this time._ She kneels back down to her previous spot, able to explore a little bit more thoroughly now that the offending furniture is out of the way. After a while of buckling down and digging a hole into the pile, tossing a myriad of uninteresting items behind her, something finally gains her interest and she stops. What sits before her is a larger than average cardboard box, buried at an angle in the surrounding junk. She can barely make out the letters **MAN** , and the letters **ANI** just below that on the water-damaged container. _Hopefully whatever's inside isn't too damaged..._ Excitement blossoms in her soul as she resumes digging, removing the items trapping the box with a renewed vigor. _I've got a really good feeling about this!_

 

Gaster feels a sudden burst of emotion coming from Luna and his skull immediately pivots to face her. Or, at least, where she HAD been. "Luna? Is everything ok over there?" Her response is muffled, but he's able to follow the sound, and his eyelights fall on the lower half of her body, sticking out of a pile of trash as several items are discarded quickly behind her. He shakes his head and sighs, smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he piles his books into two neat stacks. He stands and pats himself off, and starts making his way over to his... eccentric friend and colleague. She's already pulled herself further into the hole she seems to have dug. "You do know that you could have asked Alphys or myself for help, right?" The only response he gets is an enthusiastic cheer, followed by her hurriedly scooting back and pulling out a cardboard box with her. Alphys has come over to check out the commotion by this point, and her eyes brighten as she reads the words on the box excitedly.

"Manga and Anime?? O-oh my gosh, Luna, this is amazing! W-we have to, we have to l-look inside!" Luna nods quickly, beaming as she pulls a pocket knife out of her pocket, _The one I found for her during our first exploration here,_ Gaster notes, and she flips the small blade out to cut through the tape keeping the box closed. Once the blade is sliced through the tape, breaking the seal, she slips the item back into her pocket, and Alphys, now kneeling opposite her in front of the box, helps her to pull the flaps open. The two start pawing through the box, both very animated as they gush over their new findings. Alphys seems very interested in the manga and anime both titled **Ranma 1/2** , while Luna is completely enraptured by a decently sized orange case containing several discs of an anime called **Dragon Ball**. _Most of these seem to have been produced a while before we were sealed down here, while some might still be ongoing..._ Gaster simply watches as the two pull out more books and cases, keeping an eye out for something that might interest him. _Hm? What's this?_

 

As Luna brushes her fingers over the orange box in her lap, she notices Gaster reaching into the box. Curious, she follows his gaze and watches as he picks up one of the remaining manga out of the box. _**Alita: Battle Angel**. Sounds interesting._ She smiles at him and gestures to the book he's now holding. "Find something good?" He doesn't answer at first, just scrunches his face as he flips the book over to read the short blurb on the back cover.

"I've never read one of these before." He looks to Luna, then Alphys, holding the book up. "Are they supposed to be backwards like this? None of my other books are like this." Alphys nods and smiles, explaining that all manga are intended to be read right to left. He hums thoughtfully and picks out the other four books that hold the same name, setting them next to him. Luna smiles brightly and starts packing everything else back up into the box.

"I'd say we have enough here to last us for a while. How about we wrap up here and go watch some of this together?" Her friends both nod and begin helping her return everything to the box, except for what Gaster had grabbed. Instead, once everything else is put away, he takes the manga and carries them over to his original pile, tucking them into his bag along with all his other books. Alphys does the same with the anime she collected, slinging her pink bag over her shoulder before they all start heading to Snowdin to spend the rest of their free day hanging out at Gaster and Luna's home.

As she walks between her friends, Luna's soul warms with happiness as she looks between their smiling faces.

_Today's gonna be great._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm realizing that pushing myself to put out a chapter every week is starting to burn me out on it, so I don't think I'll be doing a set upload schedule anymore, outside of trying to upload a new chapter at least once a month. I'd rather take it slow and make it good than push out more, lower quality chapters


End file.
